


Midnight Guardian

by Osicne_C



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Canon Universe, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff, Peridot sleep talks and you cant tell me otherwise, Sleepy Cuddles, Sleepy Kisses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-25
Updated: 2017-04-25
Packaged: 2018-10-23 19:43:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10725933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Osicne_C/pseuds/Osicne_C
Summary: Just another night and another bad dream. It had come to the point where Lapis started to accept the fact that she can never really have a peaceful sleep. Peridot, however, Is not having it and will do just about anything to prove that she'll protect her for the night. Lapis soon finds out that she may have underestimated her partner's care.





	Midnight Guardian

**Author's Note:**

> More fluff because you can never have too much of it (Or at least I can't) I already wrote about Lapis cheering Peridot from a nightmare so why not have it the other way around only a little less angsty and more on the goofy side. Enjoy!

 Various of horrid images had obscured Lapis' mind in one night. There were the corrupted faces, the barn in flames, a prison of mirrors, and one of the most common one: the chains of Malachite. To her luck, she found herself waking up on the barn's wooden floors.  
  
Upon the realization of what had happened, Lapis let out a long frustrated sigh, trying to ignore the drumming sensation in her chest. Just another night, just another bad dream, just another interrupted sleep. She slowly regulated her breaths as she checked her surroundings to help ease the tension. The countryside offered a silent atmosphere that typically benefited Lapis on such nights. The only sounds that kept her company was the occasional wooden creaks and Pumpkin snoring in her corner. Her heartbeat continued to slow down, proving that her method was working. She continued to narrate the setting to herself.  
  
"Pumpkin in her corner, as usual, Meepmorps in their correct place, and..."  
A small pair of green arms wrapping tightly around her waist from behind.

Lapis felt her nose scrunch at the sight. She had no memory of falling asleep next to Peridot, if anything, she could not even remember which episode of Camp Pinning Hearts the pair was on before Lapis snuck away to catch up on her novel. She set aside her thoughts and slightly turned her head to peek at her roommate. The last thing she wanted to do was interrupt her sleep session, so she spoke softly “Peridot, What are you doing?”  
  
“Guarding you of course.” Peridot grumbled, “You're a Crystal Gem now and that means we have to protect each other...Let this be your first lesson on how we do things on Earth” she tightened her hold.  
  
That....was something she was not expecting. She had already learned through a series of tedious and restless nights that Peridot had the habit of talking in her sleep, but those were typically just the occasional giggle or mumbles about defeating a corruption. The Ocean Gem remained quiet as she took another look at her as she slightly inched away from the grip.  
  
Peridot had her face pressed along Lapis' back, her eyes shut close and her mouth curving into a small angry pout.  
  
"Yep. She's barely even awake."  
  
Despite the fuzzy feeling that having Peridot holding her brought to her chest, Lapis was not in much in the mood to drift back to sleep, at the moment even the slightest blink brought her back to the terrifying images her sleep brought to her. Part of her wanted to shake away from Peridot's grip, yet the other wanted to keep the sense of warmth her partner brought. Bottling any sense of flattery, Lapis straightened her back,  
  
"Why are you doing this?" Lapis restated.  
  
Peridot groaned at the change in position and pulled herself back to Lapis, "You were squirming and crying out in your sleep just now...I figured I'd help calm you down. Holding you typically works really efficiently."  
  
"Has this happened before?" At the moment Lapis suddenly felt like throwing herself into the lake from her embarrassment. Had she really allowed her emotions to be caught by Peridot every night? Just the thought of disrupting her sleep on a daily basis brought a tight guilt to her chest.  
  
"Well of course it has."Those cloddy nightmares just won't give my Lapis a break, will they? If I had Steven's abilities I would go into them and give them a piece of my mind." she puffed, "Unfortunately that's not possible so this will do. And I wouldn't mind guarding you every night if I have to."  
  
Unsurprisingly, Lapis' mood altered completely at that statement. She was already aware that Peridot typically had the magical ability to spark a smile on her face at any moment, but making her smile when sleeptalking? Now that was impressive. Lapis felt her cheeks brighten up at the thought, yet she was about going to let her flattery snap her out yet. For now, she was going to play along just to see how far it would go. She raised and eyebrow "Huh? Are you sure you're up for that?”  
  
“Obviously.” She said flatly. The smaller gems nestled into her back and began to smile. Lapis suddenly felt the embrace loosen, before she could even search for her partner, The small green gem pulled herself higher and struck towards her face to give Lapis a powerful kiss on the cheek, “I already told you; 'll always protect you no matter what the danger”  
  
The smirk on Lapis’ face instantly dropped from surprise. Peridot was not typically the type to openly initiate kisses, but then again, Peridot was always extra protective when sleeping. With a sigh, Lapis adjusted herself back into a cuddle and curled herself against the technician.  
  
Resisting to laugh at the scenario was impossible. She could feel Peridot’s knees poke her thighs and the tip of her hair tickle the back of her neck. Almost similar to a small toddler clutching to a massive teddy bear that can barely fit their bed. Lapis chuckled at the comparison. She completely doubted that Peridot would admit to her actions the next morning once she was fully awake so she continued to poke teases,  
  
"Well it's a good thing Blue Diamond hasn't come after me yet, then we'd both be in trouble."  
  
Peridot sucked her teeth and formed a pout, "Don't doubt me, Lapis Lazuli. I already called a diamond a clod once...I'll do it again."  
  
"Well, I stand corrected. You would handle that very well." Lapis grinned. She was suddenly struck with an incredible idea. With full force, she shook away from Peridot's grip and lowered herself so that she was at eye level with her visor. Peridot squinted at her and tilted her head with confusion,  
  
"What are you up to?..." She said through another yawn as she flailed her arms in attempts to hold her again, "Get back over here...I can't protect you if you're all the way down there..."  
  
"How can I be sure you can protect me?...Why don't you prove it?" she teased.  
  
The technician paused and widened her eyes slightly and looking a bit more awake than before. She rubbed her chin as she glared at the blue gem as if she were still processing what she said. The sight made Lapis want to scoop her up and attack her with cuddles, but she resisted the urge, more curious on what the sleepy gem would do next.  
  
"If you feel it's necessary, the fine, I'll prove it." Peridot lifted her hand and flicked her finger in the air. The gesture was followed by the barn's metal handle pulling back and shutting the entrance with a loud thud that made Peridot flinch, "There...Now no one can get it and try to hurt you. Does seem protective enough to you?" She said with pride. Lapis looked over the barn door. Sure, it was definitely closed. The entire barn was in darkness other than a small orange glow coming from a lantern that the two of them morped earlier that day.  
  
"I don't knowwww~...Anyone can close a door..."  
  
A small growl came from Peridot. Lapis was about to snort until she felt Peridot's warmth go away. The green gem pulled herself from the floor and made her way up the hayloft, leaving Lapis alone. That was when the panic struck her. Sporadically, Lapis shot up from the ground and trembled as she thought about what mistake she made. Had she gone too far? Did she offend Peridot when questioning her affection? How could she apologize? The Ocean Gem stood there, trapped in her own thoughts. Despite all her worries, all she could manage to do was quietly call out, "Peridot?..."  
  
Coming from the shadows, Lapis spotted Peridot returning to their spot, she lingered with a tired look in her eyes and on one hand, she held a thick yellow blanket that she dragged across the floor. Without speaking she wrapped the blanket around them and pulled Lapis back the ground.  
  
"Peridot? You're not ma-"  
  
"You told me to prove it, so that's what I'm doing. I'm protecting you from the cold."  
  
Lapis felt a rush of relief hit her. Peridot was not mad at her, yet the scare was enough to warn her to settle down on the teasing. She inched herself closer to Peridot and smiled as she felt the small pair of arms wrap around her from behind again, "Not bad...Not bad at all"  
  
"Hey! I'm not done yet!"  
  
What could the gem possibly have ready for her next? Lapis was eager to know what was next. Lapis felt the grip tighten so hard that she could hardly move her arms. She had no time to question it, she felt Peridot firmly grasp her shoulders and pull her close enough for their faces to poke. She hummed quietly as she gently nuzzled her cheek against Lapis' which was burning with a deep blue blush. With both gems lying on their sides, facing each other,  Peridot had the perfect opportunity to peck a small kiss on Lapis' lips, "I'm going to protect that wonderful smile" She mumbled.  
  
She raised her face and kissed both her eyelids, "and...I'm going to protect those beautiful eyes."  
  
Lapis had completely surrendered to her flattery and giggled her partner's cheesy affection, embarrassed to feel her cheeks quickly warm up from the contact, "Peridot!" she said through her laughs, "Quit embarrassing me!"

A third kiss was planted onto her neck, "Let's not forget to protect that cute laugh." Lapis felt another gentle kiss being placed on the tip of her nose, "And that adorable little snort of yours"  
  
Lapis covered her mouth as if it would actually hide the sounds of her intense laughter.

Despite her energetic signs of affection, Peridot still held a proud smirk, clearly pleased to see her treatment taking effect. A small chuckle escaped Peridot at the sight of Lapis' laughter followed by another tiny yawn. 

 Meanwhile, the Ocean Gem was now laughing hysterically, "Alright! Alright! That's enough!"  
  
Peridot raised an eyebrow and smiled with a face that Lapis was too familiar with,

"What? Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you ask for proof?" Nyehe, I'm going to protect you...and that is final!"

Without warning, Peridot quickly wrapped her arms around Lapis and pulled even closer, surprising the ocean gem with how tight she held her.

Before Lapis could even blush at the sudden embrace, she was met with Peridot's face which dived towards her, planting kisses on her mouth, nose, forehead, anywhere that would prove Lapis' challenge. Lapis could not escape the affection nor could she resist her fits of laughter and soon enough the green gem's laughter was in synch with hers.

Each kiss was a warm touch, each coming with their own unique promise. Playfully, she took her hand and used it to push away Peridot's face. Yet that only gave Peridot the opportunity to return some "protective kisses" all over her palms.

The laughter only Increased and Lapis was on the verge of tears. The kisses tickled her skin with such an affectionate joy that left her completely distracted her from all of her worries. All her visions faded away and focused on one and one sight only. As much as she adored the treatment, her embarrassed blushing cheeks were her equivalent of a surrender flag. 

A-ALRIGHT. I-I'M CONVINCED. YOU WIN. YOU WIN!"

Peridot let out a laugh of victory and slid away from her partner with a sly smile, "See? I told you that I'll always protect you."  
  
The Ocean Gem sighed with relief and gave Peridot a tender smile, "And I'll always love you." She leaned in to kiss her forehead, right onto her gem, as a reminder that she too would protect her partner at all costs. Peridot lowered her face and chuckled at the kiss, instantly breaking her protective character for a mere second.

Lapis rolled to her other side, offering her back to Peridot, in which the green gem eagerly accepted. The moment her arms made contact with her, Lapis could already feel her stress fade into nothing. The warmth on her back brought wonderful thoughts into her mind, completely contrasting the terrors that woke her up in the first place. Lapis looked back at what Peridot first told her as she woke up, 

_"I figured I'd help calm you down. Holding you typically works really efficiently."_

 

It had only been a couple of minutes since, but the thought that had once embarrassed her now brought a fluttering warmth to her chest, a sensation she would often feel when the two were alone. It was no surprise that her lover's embraces were the key to calming her down in her sleep, especially seeing just how much it made her gush with emotions when awake. Even Peridot's small warm exhales on her back were enough to make her feel the safest she had ever been during her cruel stay on Earth.

Not wanting to disrupt her comfort, Lapis slowly took one of Peridot's hands, giving it a tiny squeeze out of impulse and brought it to her lips to release a tiny kiss on her palm, "Thank you, Peridot." she whispered as she squeezed once more, "I love you..." 

Lapis and Peridot had shared their fair share of laughing and pointing at their TV screen when watching Camp Pinning Hearts, yet something about using those same three words felt right, felt welcoming, and sometimes nowhere near the deep level of care and affection Lapis felt for her small joyful gem.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a small familiar chuckle coming from behind her that made her heart flutter,

 

"And what are you laughing at?" Lapis asked with a tender laugh

  
"I sure proved you wrong, huh?" Peridot snickered.  
  
Lapis accidentally released a small yawn, yet she found no shame in it. All the worries of falling back asleep faded away. She no longer had any fear of her nightmares taking over her sleep. The truth was that she was never really alone when asleep. She rested her hands onto Peridot's arm and nuzzled back into her grip.  
  
"Yeah...you sure showed me,"


End file.
